RARE MONDAY NIGHT BLACKOUT IS ‘VERY LIKELY’ FOR CHARGERS

The good news is that the number of unsold tickets for the next Chargers home game is down to four digits.

The bad news is that number, it seems, won’t help the team escape a rare “Monday Night Football” blackout.

A team source on Thursday called a local blackout “very likely” for Monday’s game against the Colts. More than 9,000 general tickets are unsold, so it is expected that San Diego will be an exception to a game that otherwise will be shown across the country on the ESPN platform.

If the game is blacked out, Los Angeles can see it. Orange County can see it.

San Diego cannot.

This would be the first “Monday Night Football” game to be blacked out since the Falcons hosted the 49ers on Jan. 3, 2000. Most blackouts affect television signals that are within a 75-mile radius of the stadium. The blackout rule is different for games shown on cable networks, such as ESPN and the NFL Network. It tightens to a 35-mile radius.

The television restriction could be announced as early as today’s deadline at 5:40 p.m. PT. The NFL could grant the Chargers a 24-hour extension to sell the remaining tickets, but given the abundance, that option may be considered moot.

The Colts are 4-1.

The Chargers (2-3) will face them wearing powder-blue jerseys for the first time this year.

Fluker faces consequences

The body slam that D.J. Fluker delivered Sunday was a hit in the Chargers’ film room.

Players laughed. Some cheered.

“They were excited,” Fluker said. “They were like, ‘Man, I’ve never seen anything like that before.’ But I was worried about the consequences of the play.”

The rookie right tackle did not practice Thursday, collateral damage from a block that was about as physical as they come. He lifted Raiders linebacker Sio Moore in the air while pass protecting in the third quarter and, with a helpful hand from right guard Jeromey Clary, threw him to the ground.